D-Link AC1900 DIR-880L

D-Link AC1900 DIR-880L

This 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi router can run 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks simultaneously, plus it also features four Gigabit Ethernet ports. It’s not a DSL modem, so you’ll need to connect it to your existing broadband modem via the Gigabit Ethernet WAN port, which is fast enough to handle the NBN when it arrives on your doorstep.

This D-Link features a USB 3.0 port on the back and USB 2.0 on the side, with support for USB printers, scanners and storage. There’s a mydlink SharePort app available for accessing files from iOS and Android devices, plus the router supports Samba network shares and DLNA for streaming content around your home. You can also access files remotely via the internet.

Built-in parental controls let you block specific websites at certain times of day, but they’re blanket rules and you can’t customise them for different devices around your home. Along with this you can schedule the Wi-Fi networks to switch off at certain times of day. You can also create a guest Wi-Fi network to grant visitors internet access, but not access to devices on your home network.

Dip into the advanced settings and you’ll find VPN, static routes and Dynamic DNS support along with a Quality of Service engine, which lets you prioritise connected devices. This is handy if you’re relying on your Wi-Fi to stream music and video to the lounge room.

Thanks to the impressive external antenna array, which supports beamforming to track your devices, the D-Link offers the strongest signal of the bunch. It hit 318 Mbps up close and in our long-range test, moving upstairs, the speed only dropped 59 percent. At this distance, it outpaced the Airport Extreme and was the fastest of the bunch.

Bottom line.

Blessed with an external three-antenna array, D-Link’s DIR-880L is well-suited to homes where Wi-Fi signal strength is an issue.